Calif. officer on Segway patrol makes car-theft bust

By William Murphy,Newsday

LONG BEACH, Calif. — Long Beach police have made their first Segway-assisted arrest, nabbing three juvenile car thieves after an officer gave chase aboard his two-wheeled, battery-powered Segway Personal Transporter.

At a top speed of 12.5 mph, the Segway was no match for the stolen Mercedes-Benz, but Officer Jose Miguez was able to keep the vehicle in sight for two blocks until the teens leaped out of the moving car to escape just moments before it jumped a curb and struck a utility pole.

"We went down one full block, we went up two of the short blocks and then another full block back," Miguez, 34, recalled yesterday, balancing on the Segway outside police headquarters.